Red leather booth

Google Kitchener-Waterloo office in the Breithaupt Block; Photo by Paul Harnack

We all know that the omnipotent tech giant, Google, creates some pretty special work spaces for its staff. With catered meals prepared by talented chefs, ridiculously comfy lounges, cool recreational play rooms and that infamous red slide, Google offices are the top-tier of collaborative and fun work environments.

But they are often shrouded in mystery, with only the Google insiders getting access. So what does the newly designed Google Canada space at the Breithaupt Block in downtown Kitchener look like?

Inside Google Kitchener Waterloo office; Photo by Peter, Reuters

You and I get to find out this Saturday.

Doors Open Waterloo Region, an annual tour of architectural spaces and heritage sites, is this Saturday, September 17, and it is the key to getting to peek behind the Google curtain.

Be welcomed into the local office, where you can check out the climbing wall, the library, the so-called ‘secret room’,  or if you are so inclined, the space where Prime Minster Justin Trudeau hung out during Google’s official opening earlier this year. There is also a lecture at 11am, entitled The Impact of Design and Architecture on Culture.

The Google library; Photo by Peter Power, Reuters

Jane Synder and Karl Kessler (previously profiled on this blog) are the local masterminds behind this event, coordinating it for the last dozen years. This year there are 48 sites we get to visit, 19 of which have a strong science and tech bent, aligning with the this year’s theme, Into Science and Tech.

Shopify in the old Seagram Distillery; Photo by Doors Open Waterloo Region

reebee, housed in downtown Kitchener; Photo by Doors Open Waterloo Region

MappedIn HQ at 305 King St downtown Kitchener; Photo by Doors Open Waterloo Region

Thanks to Doors Open, you get to wander into the beautiful Seagrams distillery in Uptown Waterloo to check out Shopify; be toured through the ever-popular Perimeter Institute; and visit several businesses housed at 305 King St. in downtown Kitchener, including Dragon’s Den winner MappedIn, plus reebee, Sweet Tooth and Square.

We also get to peek into beautiful churches, city halls, manufacturing facilities, historic inns, an architecture school, a local farm and and other interesting sites around the region, some which offer guided or self-guided tours so be sure to check the schedule.

Trinity Anglican Church in Cambridge; Photo by Doors Open Waterloo Region

And if you are the shutterbug type, Doors Open would love to see you post your photos of the sites on their Flickr page.

Follow up Doors Open on Twitter and Facebook for all the details, and then check the schedule and and plan your Saturday. Hope we cross architectural paths.